The Most Inspiring & Empowering Metaphysical Books That You Will Ever Read

Every now and then, I will receive an email asking me what books have been most influential in educating me on the concepts that this Medium blog is all about. More often than not, I don’t have a particularly solid answer, since there have been so many books and so many experiences that have lead to my own practices and understandings.

Just the other day, though, I took a good look at my library. Every book within my library has been beneficial in one way or another. The novels within my library were deeply affecting, and continue to be. The nonfiction books were inspiring and informative. The spiritual works were empowering and enlightening.

Within my library, though, there are six books that, upon further examination, I found to have been extraordinary in their influence. Each one of these six books had a very significant impact on my sense of self, my beliefs and assumptions regarding my abilities, and the ways in which I engage with spiritual and metaphysical topics that pertain to personal power and our own creative abilities.

You may not find any of these books to be particularly interesting. But, even if you don’t, I can assure you that reading them is a very beneficial act that will, at the very least, provide a new perspective and a pleasant reading experience!

Active Dreaming — Robert Moss

Active Dreaming, by Robert Moss, was one of the first spiritual books that I ever read. My initial interest in the book came as a result of my desire to be a lucid dreamer. The book, at first glance, appeared to be all about lucid dreaming. But, in truth, it is about far more than that, offering a new way of living that allows us to unite the waking world with the world of sleep and dream.

Within the pages of Active Dreaming, Robert Moss describes and illustrates the value of dreams and Imagination. Dreams and Imagination, Moss explains, are inextricably tied to the events within our lives, as well as those of the world. But, more importantly, the Universe that we inhabit is one of life, energy, and motion. Through the act of engaging with our dreams and Imagination, we are able to commune with the Universe in all of its many facets, allowing for a greater connection ourselves, and our many unique facets, and the Universe.

The most valuable, and practical, take-away that I gathered from Active Dreaming was a series of ways in which we can tap into and explore the endless depths of dreams, Imagination, and synchronicity. By engaging with those practices, I came to realize that the “inner” and “outer” world, as I had once considered them, were really one-in-the-same.

Naturally, this lead me to numerous other books and revelations…

E-Squared — Pam Grout

To this day, E-Squared is one of my most beloved books. Every year, I read it again — sometimes twice in a year, if I need that sense of inspiration and connection that Pam Grout’s words provide — and I always find some novel piece of wisdom that, for whatever reason, I had failed to notice in past readings of the book.

While E-Squared is, fundamentally, concerned with our relationship to the Universe and the creative forces that we can, and should, make use of, it goes about conveying these things in a unique and deeply practical manner. Every chapter consists of one particular idea — the idea that what we look for, we will find; to name just one example — and then an experiment that we can perform to experience that particular idea in our day-to-day life. Each experiment is very simple and very quick — only one of them, I believe, takes longer than two-days to perform.

Even though I was already aware of the ideas found within E-Squared, my experiences with them as day-to-day truths was quite lacking. So, I began performing the experiments, keeping an open mind and surrendering to what came forth. It was within a single week that I had found a new writing job — a job I kept for many months, due to its easy work and high pay — while beginning a romantic relationship with a girl that I had had a crush on for several months.

The key to E-Squared is, from what I can tell, surrender. Surrendering to the experiments and the ideas found within them, even if they seem a little silly or unconventional, and surrendering to the results that come from the experiments. If you keep an open mind and commit to the experiments, I guarantee that something very special — I don’t know what, but I can guarantee you that it will be special — will happen.

The Cosmic Energizer — Joseph Murphy

Joseph Murphy is, of course, one of the most well-known figures in New Thought. “The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind” is, undoubtedly, his most famous and beloved work. But, truth be told, I did not find that work to be especially resonant. Most likely, this was due to my own supposed familiarity with the ideas, and unwillingness to experiment with what Murphy was conveying. “The Cosmic Energizer”, however, was a much different story.

When I first read “The Cosmic Energizer”, I was going through several personal difficulties. Professionally, I was discouraged and unsuccessful when it came to fulfilling my own ambitions. Creatively, I was stuck in a rut and having great difficulty in coming up with new ideas and ways of expressing the ideas that I had already come up with. Personally, I was depressed, unsatisfied, and unfulfilled.

As you might expect, reading “The Cosmic Energizer” was a revelation. None of the ideas were particularly novel to me, but it was the way in which Joseph Murphy expressed these ideas, while illustrating how one could make use of them through practical methods and processes, that made the book so effective. To hear that there is, within all of us, a great cosmic force of infinite creativity, and that all we must do is make use of that through our own actions and inherent abilities was exceptionally reassuring.

Even if you are already familiar with Joseph Murphy’s work, or have engaged with the ideas found within traditional New Thought, “The Cosmic Energizer” is still a book worth reading. It is short, simple, very practical, and incredibly reassuring. You may not find anything new, but you will, I guarantee, come away from the book feeling inspired, while also understanding the infinite creative power that you possess.

Awakened Imagination — Neville Goddard

To this day, Neville Goddard remains my favorite New Thought writer. The sheer influence that Neville’s works have had on every facet of my life can not be overstated. As a result of this, though, it was difficult for me to choose just one Neville Goddard text. Initially, I was tempted to put in “Your Faith Is Your Fortune”, which is the first Neville book that I read. But, after some thought, I realized that “Awakened Imagination” was the only right choice.

“Awakened Imagination” is quite like the other works that Neville wrote. You will find very little that is novel or original, in comparison to Neville’s earlier or later works. But, what you will find, is a clear and concise explanation of Neville’s world view, as well as numerous practices and methodologies that you can apply to make use of the God within you — that God being, of course, your Imagination.

Every sentence in “Awakened Imagination” is beautifully written, possessing a strong poetic quality, while also being simple and immediately applicable. Even though “Awakened Imagination” is less than fifty-pages — this does, of course, depend on the version you purchase — it is rich with concepts and practices, all of which have expanded my view of the world, while also allowing for me to grow and develop my Imagination — and, in turn, my life — in ways that I never thought was possible.

Even if you have already read Neville’s work — or understand the “gist of it” — I highly recommend “Awakened Imagination”. All of Neville’s works are excellent, but “Awakened Imagination” may very well be his best!

The Power Of Neuroplasticity — Shad Helmstetter

“The Power Of Neuroplasticity” is not, upon first glance, a particularly spiritual work. Rather, it is concerned with neuroplasticity, a scientifically proven phenomena, and the implications of neuroplasticity, as well as the ways in which we can make use of it. But, it is these scientific roots, in particular, that made “The Power Of Neuroplasticity” such an affecting and inspiring work, changing my world and giving me a greater set of tools with which I was able to understand the concepts and ideas that I have been — and continue to — engaging with.

Just as the title implies, “The Power Of Neuroplasticity” is all about neuroplasticity. Within the book’s pages, the concept of neuroplasticity, as well as its implications, are all explained in a simple and concise manner. Everything is laid out plainly and clearly, yet the deeply empowering nature of the idea remains omnipresent.

Soon after “The Power Of Neuroplasticity” begins, though, Shad Helmstetter begins describing the ways in which we can harness the power of neuroplasticity to change our beliefs and assumptions about anything! There are so many unique ideas and methodologies found within “The Power Of Neuroplasticity”, and they are all extremely useful. Many of them align with the same concepts that New Thought pioneers Joseph Murphy and Neville Goddard espoused, such as feelings and emotions being a creative force — in “The Power Of Neuroplasticity”, feelings and emotions literally rewire our neurology.

If you are struggling with beliefs, habits, or assumptions — about anything, but especially yourself — then I cannot recommend “The Power Of Neuroplasticity” enough. Everything found within the book aligns with the spiritual concepts and practices found with traditional New Thought philosophy, and every practice and methodology found within the book has the potential to change your world and, in turn, your life.

Lost Knowledge Of The Imagination — Gary Lachman

While “Lost Knowledge Of The Imagination” is a very spiritual book, it is significantly less practical, in its content, than the five books we just looked at. But, it is precisely this lack of practicality, and commitment to questions and ideas, that makes “Lost Knowledge Of The Imagination” such a riveting and awe-inspiring work of nonfiction.

While “Lost Knowledge Of The Imagination” is quite short — less than two-hundred pages, for most printings — it is one of the densest and most idea-stuffed works of nonfiction that I have, to this day, ever read. Every single page is packed with unique historical anecdotes, the condensed lives of men and women who understood the endless power within their Imaginations, new theories and facts coming out of mainstream — and fringe — science; along with so much more.

All of this information culminates into a work that is all about the ways in which we, as a species, have lost touch with the infinite creative power that is found within our Imagination, and consigned ourselves to materialistic doctrines that, while extremely valuable in their own way, have lead to a separation between Self and Imagination.

Reading the “Lost Knowledge Of Imagination” was exceptionally profound, as it bridged the gap between the spiritual knowledge that I was coming to understand, the methodologies and systems that I was using to work with my Imagination, and the knowing that there was something so much richer and more mysterious to this world and to ourselves.

If you are interested in learning about the history of Imagination, the ways in which our concept of Imagination has transformed over time, and the infinite depths of the powers that exist as latent forces within our Imagination, then “Lost Knowledge Of The Imagination” is a must read!

Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading this essay! I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I hope you check out the books that were mentioned and discussed. If you read any of them, or have already read some of them, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to chat, you can reach me at “maxwellcakin@gmail.com”!

Best Wishes & Have A Great Day!